This is my first year participating in this One Word community. I had previously heard of it, but that was the extent of my knowledge. Last year really took a toll on me between work-related stress, financial stress, etc. I felt disconnected from God and could not understand the things that were and were not taking place in my life. The only thing that kept me from crumbling was my Jackie. She invited me to do this personal retreat and it put a lot of things in better perspective for me…and it hit surprisingly close to home on so many levels that it was eerie. I ended up choosing Patience as my One Word because a lot of my frustration and downfall last year was related to impatience and resulted in anger and resentment. This retreat taught me that God’s ultimate plan for me doesn’t always happen according to my own timeline and that I only need to exercise patience and prayer.